Apple Working on the iWatch, a Bigger iPhone, a Less Expensive iPhone, a Retina iPad Mini, and More

Rene Ritchie at iMore has shared some insights on Apple's product roadmaps across a number of products. Ritchie is somewhat circumspect in his statements, but reading between the lines, he hints at a number of significant developments that have been rumored previously.

The full post is worth a read, but Ritchie says that sources "who have provided accurate information in the past" told him that the iWatch project is moving forward, though he has not heard anything regarding feature sets or timelines.

The iTV project is still in the works, but there is no significant movement on it as the realities of the TV and content markets remain the same. Rumors of an iPhone with a larger screen are accurate, but release "doesn't sound imminent", and its the same story for a less expensive iPhone. It's likely coming, but is a question of timing.

To bring the full-sized iPad casing in line with the iPad mini's, and to bring the iPad mini display up to the full size iPad's Retina quality, will take improvements to the efficiencies of the screens, the LED that lights them, the chipsets that drive them, and the batteries that power them. All of those are coming, it's just a question of when they get here.

He notes that an iPad mini with Retina Display is on the drawing board, as soon as Apple can figure out how to cram the display into the mini's diminutive case. He also expresses excitement for Apple's software plans in particular, future releases of iOS. He wrote that his sources "sound excited about not just the atoms but the bits as well."

None of what Ritchie writes reveals anything particularly new or astonishing, but given his extremely accurate track record over the past few years, it's an important look into what Apple could be planning for the rest of 2013.

Never saw someone make so many pointless and empty predictions before. "New iPhones will come... Eventually!" Yeah, no kidding.

The real story that needs to be reported is that Apple is basically become a company without focus. They are attempting to grow their customer base in the near term by providing a multitude of products. While it will improve their short-term sales numbers, they will ultimately dilute their brand to nothing other than just another competitor in a sea of many. Apple products used to be trend setting and well targeted, but are now just reduced to following whatever else looks even remotely promising.

Rene Ritchie at iMore has shared some insights on Apple's product roadmaps across a number of products. Ritchie is somewhat circumspect in his statements, but reading between the lines, he hints at a number of significant developments that have been rumored previously.

The full post is worth a read, but Ritchie says that sources "who have provided accurate information in the past" told him that the iWatch project is moving forward, though he has not heard anything regarding feature sets or timelines.

The iTV project is still in the works, but there is no significant movement on it as the realities of the TV and content markets remain the same. Rumors of an iPhone with a larger screen are accurate, but release "doesn't sound imminent", and its the same story for a less expensive iPhone. It's likely coming, but is a question of timing.

Finally, Ritchie talks of a redesigned iPad to match the iPad mini's bezel design (mockup pictured above):
He notes that an iPad mini with Retina Display is on the drawing board, as soon as Apple can figure out how to cram the display into the mini's diminutive case. He also expresses excitement for Apple's software plans including both Siri and iCloud, saying that his sources "sound excited about not just the atoms but the bits as well."

None of what Ritchiewritesreveals anything particularly new or astonishing, but given his extremely accurate track record over the past few years, it's an important look into what Apple could be planning for the rest of 2013.

Nothing new in this article really. A thinner and lighter iPad and a Retina iPad mini are a given. They're coming. Bigger/cheaper iPhone is still just rumour in my opinion and I don't they something we're going to see this year. I also don't think we'll see a full TV set from Apple anytime soon, although I know they're getting serious about making one.

Not surprising to anyone other than the masses who believed a retina ipad mini would be launched in March .....

I think Apple will leave it a good year or so before making the iPad mini Retina. It would have been a massive insult to early adopters if they'd have brought that out less than 6 months after the first was released. Plus I hear they're having trouble actually acquiring the technology to do it.

I think Apple will leave it a good year or so before making the iPad mini Retina. It would have been a massive insult to early adopters if they'd have brought that out less than 6 months after the first was released. Plus I hear they're having trouble actually acquiring the technology to do it.[COLOR="#808080"]

Well we already knew AU Optronics reported it wouldn't be ready for manufacture till Q3 2013 and to ship till Q4 2013. But folks still believed they'd update them in March which just made no sense.

Hopefully this puts it to bed once and for all becuase the ipad forum was becoming excruciatingly tiresome with the should i wait till march posts...

Basically everything that's been reported thus far and everything obvious, but playing it safe so that even if he is wrong, no one will bash him.

Now MacRumors reposts it on the front page to give him more pagehits and ad revenue. Bravo.

For crying out loud this man wears a T-shirt with a rainbow colored logo of his blog under his suit!!

Well yeah, that's how his track record is so good

Here is my "rumor" to add which you can take as fact. Apple will release two iPads this year. A full size one and a mini. On top of that iMac's will get a speed bump. Whoa I'm not done a new version of iOS, along with an iPhone 5S. The iPhone 5S will look the same as the five but will add one new hardware feature.

This iWatch doesn't exist as a product for sale but already we've got people telling is why it won't work, even though they have no idea what it will look like, what it will do or how much it will cost. I've never figured out why people poo-poo a watch but get a hard on for glasses.

A tablet (or smartphone/iPod Touch) is really ONLY software, to the user. It's just a slab of software--whatever task you are doing at the moment--with a lot of hidden stuff driving it.

Software indeed is the most exciting, and it sometimes arrives for free on the device you already own! A thinner iPad will be neat, but iOS 7, 8 and beyond interest me even more. (And yes, OS X. I need my trucks!)

The lack of leaks about iOS 7 is kind of fun, actually. No big supply chains letting stuff leak every which way.

His statement about "future releases (plural) of iOS being exciting are interesting to me. I feel like the very *next* version of iOS really needs to be kick ass -- not two or three versions from now.

I agree that it needs to be great. However, the sense urgency is less because a) it's already great, unmatched in some absolutely vital areas (security, ease of use, ease of full backup/restore, prevention of apps from messing up your device, media and app availability, easy mass delivery of OS updates). And b) because evolution, rather than single big jumps, is actually more the norm for Apple. And it's a useful approach.

As a popcorn-munching tech-watcher, I enjoy those rare big leaps, and I hope for one every time! As a user, getting the same place in a series of small steps is just as good... maybe better. Evolution doesn't make the same headlines as revolution, but it's just as innovative.